A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric power fixture. More particularly, the present invention relates to an in-use weatherproof enclosure with interchangeable slider plates to additionally protect existing switch plates or power outlets at wet locations and outdoors.
B. Description of the Prior Art
One type of weatherproof cover for outdoor receptacles National Electrical Code specifies is a hooded cover that is weather resistant with or without plug inserted. With hooded cover a plug leading from various electric loads such as portable tools, landscape lighting, and holiday lights can be protected even when they are not attended during use. So, this type of enclosure is called “while in use” cover. U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,135 to Berlin et al. provides an advancement of such weatherproof cover that includes a base plate ‘12’ placed on certain receptacle, an insert ‘14’ of certain symmetrical form horizontally as well as vertically to easily conform to the existing receptacle in either vertical or horizontal orientation, and a housing hinged at its top to the base plate for an access to the protected space under cover.
Inserts of the Berlin patent are seated onto an inner diameter of a large aperture of a base plate to cover the conventional one or two-duplex receptacle outlet in two orientations in order to simplify manufacturing and save the associated cost. In the Berlin cover, the insert ‘14’ is limited to have an octagonal, circular, or polygonal shape wherein only a relatively small portion of the insert area is actually used to provide the necessary aperture pattern that conforms to a standard outlet. However, it is customary to install the receptacles on upright walls in vertical orientation and it is more desirable to keep the case less bulky rather than making them oversized for the purpose of dual orientation.
In return for the dual orientation scheme, the outlet cover will overprotect above and below the horizontal receptacle or both lateral sides of the vertical receptacles and thus become resultantly bulky and may not work adequately with an existing receptacle in a tight space.
In addition, to make the same base plate and housing available to use for a double-gang variation of the Berlin cover, a different couple of insert parts should be devised to fit in the octagonal, circular, or polygonal aperture of the base plate resulting in an increase of the total number of insert shapes to prepare for the variety of dual receptacles. For example, a ground-fault circuit interrupter or GFCI insert for a single-gang and double-gang application should be differently formed. Rather than having a rigid base plate and housing to which the existing receptacle configurations are made to adapt, it would be desirable to provide a flexible construction system for enclosures with improved modular face plates that easily incorporates into individually fit frame of the enclosures to various receptacle shapes and orientations. Such face plates will be desirably swift and secure to interchange between them in the process of installing the enclosure.
Therefore, it is necessary to provide an improved receptacle enclosure that fits and reconfigured more flexibly to most wall receptacles than the above and other similar known modular enclosures.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved weatherproof enclosure having modular slider face plates, which are standardized, faster and more flexible to cover one or multiple receptacles correctly.
Another object of the present invention to provide a weatherproof enclosure having a main frame that interconnects with modular slider plates more securely to facilitate handling the enclosure during installation.